A first AI project raises a question that gets less attention than it should: how much help do you actually need? Buy too little and the work stalls on a setting nobody understands. Buy too much and you have paid for a custom system when a change to your process, or a tool you already own, would have done the job.
This post sets out the four routes on our guides and kits page and how to choose between them. They are our own options, but the reasoning holds wherever you buy.
Start with one job, not a tool
Every route goes better once you can describe one job in a sentence: who does it now, how often, and what a good result looks like. Then put it through three questions before going further:
- Does it need AI at all? A tidier process or a simple rule may solve it for less.
- Could you live with a wrong answer? If a mistake could cause real harm, choose another job or have a person approve every output.
- Are you able to use the information? Think about personal data, contract terms and who has access.
The four routes compared
| Route | Cost | What you get | Suits you if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free guide | Free | A short PDF by email: the AI-ready check, AI in plain English or the Copilot oversharing check | You are still working out whether and where to begin |
| Paid kit | From £29, one-off | A method with templates that you apply yourself | You have a clear goal and someone who can give it time |
| Setup Session | £199 for 60 minutes | A live session with Peter in Microsoft Teams, on your own screen, applying a kit you have bought | You own a kit and want help with the part you are stuck on |
| Custom build | From £999, fixed quote after a call, monthly running costs apply | A system designed and built for your business | The job needs your own systems, or nothing off the shelf fits |
The Setup Session is not a done-for-you service. You make every change yourself, and passwords are never requested.
Which kit fits which job
- AI Project Planner (£29). Choose one job, write a one-page spec a builder could quote from, work out the payback, then decide whether to build, buy or do it yourself. Start here if you are unsure what comes first.
- AI Agents Kit (£49). Learn what an agent is, pick a platform that fits the subscriptions you already have, and set up a first one with approvals, permissions and tests. It needs no coding, although the walkthroughs do need certain paid plans.
- Copilot Ready Kit, Admin edition (£79). For the owner or IT lead switching on Copilot who wants a set order of checks and a pilot-to-rollout plan.
- Copilot Ready Kit, Company edition (£179). Everything in the Admin edition, plus a staff training pack and a 30-day plan for getting the whole team using Copilot well.
Each of these is a one-off price for your whole organisation. Microsoft licences and other vendor subscriptions are separate, so check what you already have before you commit.
How to choose
Work down this list and stop at the first one that describes you.
- You are not sure you are ready. Take a free guide first. It costs an email address and gives you a clear next step.
- Your project is switching on Copilot. Run the free oversharing check, then look at the Admin edition. Choose the Company edition if getting staff to use it is your bigger worry.
- You have several possible jobs and no clear winner. The AI Project Planner will rank them. If you want someone else to do that and cost the results, the paid AI Strategy & Automation Audit ends in a costed roadmap, priced after a free call with a written fixed quote before work starts.
- You have one job and someone in-house to do it. Buy the matching kit, and add a Setup Session if you get stuck.
- The job must connect to your systems or run with little supervision. Ask for a custom build quote.
Starting small does not close off the bigger options. What you pay for a kit or a Setup Session is credited in full if you go ahead with an APPS 365 build or audit of £999 or more in the 90 days after buying.
Before you ask for a quote
A one-page description of the job gets you a better answer from any supplier, and it makes quotes easier to compare. Cover what sets the work off, what information it uses, what the finished output looks like, who approves it and how you will measure success.
Then ask about the things that are easy to overlook: monthly running costs, how the system will be tested before it goes live, who owns the code and where it will be hosted. At APPS 365, work starts after a written fixed quote, with code ownership and hosting agreed in writing in that quote. When your description is ready, you can request a fixed quote with no obligation.
Still not sure?
Begin with the free 10-point AI-readiness check, which suggests a starting task and a rough payback figure. Then book a free 30-minute call and bring your one-page description, finished or not.
